A Master Sword
by Link015
Summary: To forge a sword, one must first smelt the iron. Then, through careful attention, one must mold the iron into a shape, one that fulfills the conditions that you have placed. In some ways, the human life is the same thing. It takes only one blow to mar it.


Chris: Yeah, yeah, I said I wasn't going to post on much. Hell, haven't posted in like three months. Whatever. Actually, I came up with this fic while I was thinking about writing a different fic (This is bad. Don't do this.) and I'm all like, "Hey, haven't written a Summon Night fic yet. I should try that." This, obviously, is the result. Like a general trend in my fics, it will follow the path of an OC, although characters from both games will show up once in a while. And since the main character is a guy, well, sorry but no hot yuri action for you.

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Summon Night. Banpresto does. Or Bampresto, if you want to call them that. Cause I know that if I did own the rights to Summon Night, I would have had _everyone_ kiss Pratty.

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**Chapter 1: Blueprint for the Future**

Elliard wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stared into the blazing fire, letting his mind wander as he thought about the weapon he would create. A newly proclaimed craftknight, he had only rudimentary knowledge about weapon crafting as his previous attempts had ended in laughable failures, the first one having broken into shards the moment he pulled it out of the water bath and the second one had its blade fall out of the hilt. True, it would be better if he could become apprenticed to a master of the art, but his situation was poor and he couldn't afford such extravagance. He also knew he would have better luck if he managed to get a Summon Spirit to help with his crafting, but just like learning from a master, getting a summoner was just as expensive.

He grimaced and stood up, walking towards his worn-down anvil, numerous scratches and marks marring its steel surface. It had taken almost all he had to just purchase this anvil and the rest of his money had gone to getting a sturdy hammer. Sometimes he wished he didn't run away from home, filled with dreams of honor, fame, and glory that came with being a superior craftknight. Then he looked at the sword that hung on his wall and his hesitation faded away.

The sword was a masterpiece, one that could only be created by the most legendary of smiths. Not only was it ornate, with a crystal-white guard that was shaped like angel wings as well as a long, gold and jewel-inlaid hilt, but it was also a powerful weapon, as Elliard had witnessed itself. One swing of the weapon had cleaved an opponent's axe in half. The blade itself almost seemed like it was made out of dragonmetal, a legendary substance that was talked about in legends, but was never proven to have existed. It was this weapon, forged by a distant ancestor, which propelled Elliard to his current situation.

It had been his dream to make something that could somehow match up to that sword. Of course, that was impossible, especially now. A knock on his door awoke Elliard from his brooding and he opened it, a pleased smile coming to his face as he saw Nia, the shopkeeper's daughter. Nia was approximately the same age, just a couple of months younger than him, and while the two of them weren't exactly in a relationship, they _were_ good friends with each other. Nia smiled at him, her auburn-brown eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Still stuck in your grungy forge? Come on, it's a beautiful day outside and it'll be a waste if you spend it all in here!" Nia scolded teasingly, taking a hold of Elliard's hand as if to drag him outside. Elliard struggled semi-seriously, half of him wanting to go out and enjoy his friend's presence. "Come on, Elliard! Don't be a stick in the mud!"

"Oh, fine." Elliard relented with a smile. "Let me just get my hammer."

"Why do you need that rusty, old thing?" Nia pouted, her hands folded.

"As my father told me, a hammer not only forges a weapon, it forges a man!" Elliard said seriously as he tucked the instrument in his belt. Nia stared at him for a bit before bursting out in laughter. "H-Hey! Why are you laughing?!"

"I-I'm sorry! But you sounded s-so silly!" Nia stuttered, her sides shaking with laughter. "It forges a man? Are you sure about that?"

"Hmph, well, it was what my father told me." Elliard muttered petulantly. "Now, are we going to go or not?"

"Haha, okay. I'm really sorry, you know that. I couldn't help it." Nia tried to look sorrowful, but the smile on her face betrayed her. Elliard let out a wounded sniff before letting the shorter girl lead the way through the streets. While their town, Sylvia, wasn't as impressive, nor as big, as the capital, Wystern, Sylvia still boasted a Guild of their own and numerous weapon and item stores to be considered a nice enough city. And of course there was Weissritter Point, a small cliff near the edge of the sea that had one of the greatest views of the ocean across the whole continent.

It was there that Nia led her friend in the later hours of the afternoon, the sun just sinking beneath the calm, blue waves. The two of them sat onto the cool grass, letting the wind drift around them as they just watched the scenery, enjoying each other's presence. Nia lay her head down atop Elliard's shoulder, letting out a contented sigh.

"Hey Elliard…I guess I'm kind of a jerk for stalling this long…But I'm moving to Wystern tomorrow along with my family." Nia murmured sadly. "I guess I was hoping that it wasn't true…"

"You're kidding me!" Elliard said in astonishment. "Why are you moving?!"

"Well, my dad thought he could sell better at the capital." Nia said, shaking her head. "My mom and I couldn't convince him otherwise…and you know how my dad is. He said we should, so we're going to. …I'm sorry. I wanted this day to last forever. So we could spend so much more time together."

Elliard didn't know what to say. His mind was still processing all this shocking information and the only thing he could do was stare at the ground, trying to somehow focus his brain. However, the only thing that he accomplished was to release a flood of old memories with her, when he had first come to the village. He managed to make a tiny smile. "H-Hey, it's not like we're never going to see each other again."

"Yeah…Yeah." Nia nodded, hope sparking in her eyes. She stood up, brushing some of the grass from her sea-blue skirt. She knelt down and kissed Elliard once on the forehead before scampering down the hill back towards the village. Midway, she spun on her foot, sticking her tongue out at him. "I expect you to become a great craftknight the next time we meet! You wouldn't want to disappoint me, now would you?!"

Elliard smiled, trying to memorize every detail of Nia at the moment. How the fading sunlight struck her slightly-tanned skin. How her lovely, auburn eyes sparkled with her sorrow, hope, and energy. How her thick, deep-red hair floated around her like a halo, emphasizing the pinkish-white blouse that she wore. The teardrops that were beginning to streak down her eyes. He blinked once and she was already running back towards Sylvia, her slim legs pumping as fast as they could. Elliard raised a hand, as if to stop her with just his will. She faded into the distance and Elliard lowered his hand, falling back onto the grass.

He stared up into the sky, watching the stars and unable to think of anything. The sky turned dark and still Elliard lay there, his hands tucked behind his head. Hours after hours passed and it was midnight when Elliard finally got up with a sigh and trudged back to his house. He cast a wistful glance in the direction of Nia's house before heading inside and falling asleep, wishing that this had all been a dream.

The next day, Nia was gone.

_---_

The hammer slammed down onto the piece of molten metal, shaping it into the sword that it would (hopefully) become. Elliard brought the hammer down again, letting his work take control of his actions and thoughts. The only thing that mattered at the moment was creating this sword. One last hammer strike and he quickly submerged the iron blade, hearing the satisfying hiss of steam erupt from the cold water. Withdrawing the sword, Elliard frowned as he saw numerous cracks and lines in the metal, signifying a weak blade and one that was prone to shattering. With a grumble, he tossed into his rapidly growing pile of failures, cursing another attempt gone wrong.

It had only been a week than Nia had been gone and his work had gotten even worse. Now he couldn't even forge the simplest dagger, let alone a sword. Elliard tossed his hammer to the side, giving up for the day and deciding to go out to Weissritter Point. He managed to feel at peace there, although it was more of a mournful peace than anything fulfilling. He didn't think that Nia moving would affect him so badly. He still received letters from her, but to him, it just didn't feel the same. As one who lived as a weaponsmith, with only pure strength and skill driving him, the letters only reminded him that Nia was somewhere else. He was almost to Weissritter Point when he heard a cry for help.

Being the curious and honorable person that he was, Elliard ran towards the source of the cry. Two small figures appeared ahead of him and as he came closer, the figures revealed themselves to be a young girl and a slime monster. While the slime didn't seem that dangerous, the fact remained that the girl was terrified and Elliard wanted to help. Ruing the fact that now _would _be the only time he didn't have his hammer on him, he grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at the slime. The rock hit the jelly and sank into it.

'_Good one. A rock is going to seriously damage something make out of slime.'_ Elliard thought to himself. However, the futile attack had one good consequence. It changed its target from the young girl to Elliard. Desperately wishing that he had his hammer right now, Elliard found another weapon, this time a sturdy-looking stick. A few goods whacks with that and the slime was splattered across the grass, Elliard panting as he dropped the battered, jelly-covered stick to the ground.

He looked at the young girl, who was still shivering slightly. He carefully walked up to her, not wanting to startle her. Kneeling down, he held a hand out to her, marveling at her long silver-gold hair, a rare color from where he came from. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes…Thank you." She gratefully accepted his hand and stood up, still shivering slightly. Elliard got a closer look at her and realized that while she was short, she actually appeared to be only a year or two younger than him. Along with her hair color, which was already extremely uncommon, her eyes were colored a deep, radiant purple. Even her clothes seemed odd, Elliard not recognizing the make or the style. That left only one conclusion.

"Are you a summon spirit?" He asked, curious.

The girl gave a start and would have run away if it weren't for Elliard's strong grip on her wrist. She gave him a scared look and tried to escape, but Elliard kept a hold of her and soon she tired, worn out from fright. She looked at him defeatedly, slumping down on her knees. "Yes…Are you going to kidnap me?"

"Kidnap you?!" The young smith cried out in surprise. "Now why would I do something stupid like that? I really was just trying to help. Besides, if I really wanted to kidnap you, don't you think I would have done it already?'

"R-Right…" She let out a relieved sigh, still shaking slightly. "My name is Yuiri and I'm a fairy-type summon spirit. I specialize in the element of water and I know a lot of support magic. But…I don't have a lot of experience yet…. Um…Are you a craftknight?"

"Yeah, but not a really good one. We would make a good team, since we both aren't that strong." Elliard said with a laugh, noticing the faint, glittery wings on her back. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Yuiri. I assume you have a master around here who's waiting for you, so good luck."

He was just about to leave when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. Turning around, he saw Yuiri shyly grasping his shirt, sticking close to him. He took a step forward and Yuiri mimicked him. He took a step backward and Yuiri did the same thing. Finally, he sighed and scratched his chocolate-brown hair, wondering if she really _did_ have a master. "Don't you have a place to go to?"

"N-No…That's why I was afraid you were there to kidnap me. I've heard of a lot of my people say that strays like me are often taken and forced to forge weapons." Yuiri replied with a hint of nervousness in her voice. "B-But, if you wouldn't mind being my master…"

Elliard couldn't believe his ears. A summon spirit was asking if she could create a pact with him. "Of course! This could help us both! I've been looking for someone to help me with my forging and you're looking for a master. So, how about it? Would you mind creating a pact with a pathetic craftknight?"

"Y-You're not pathetic." Yuiri said with a small blush. "I would be happy to create a pact with you. There isn't an official pact maker around, though."

"Oh, we don't need anything official. After all, we're doing this for the both of us, right? I'm certain out hearts will acknowledge the pact." Elliard said, wondering where these corny lines were coming from. "So, I, Elliard Reynolds, amateur craftknight, do swear to protect and take care of this summon spirit, Yuiri, upon this pact that we do solemnly place our oath."

Yuiri's melodic voice soon joined his. "And I, Yuiri, summon spirit, do swear to protect and assist this craftknight, Elliard Reynolds, upon this pact that we do solemnly place our oath."

Elliard and Yuiri smiled at each other and Elliard took the younger girl's hand as he led her down towards Sylvia, explaining some of the buildings that they passed. At last, they paused in front of Elliard's house, where the craftknight smiled and shook his head as he opened the door, beckoning Yuiri into the less-than-impressive abode.

"So, this is it." Elliard said, waving his hand around his messy home. He pointed to a smaller room towards the right, which was the only place that looked clean. "The bedroom is in there. We've both had a rough night, so it'd probably be best if we slept. You're free to use the bed."

"What about you, master?" Yuiri asked.

"Don't worry about me. I have an extra futon laid out in case of guests. And don't call me master. I don't deserve the title yet." Elliard explained. "Please, don't feel selfish. I'm just doing what I think is right. Get a good sleep today. You'll need the energy for tomorrow. I usually do a full day of smithing, so chances are we'll be working all day tomorrow."

"O-Okay." Yuiri replied, a little upset that she, a summon spirit, was getting the bed while her master was going to sleep on a futon on the ground. Elliard seemed adamant about his decision, however, and Yuiri finally caved in, gratefully sinking under the cotton sheets. Elliard watched her with a smile as he lay down on his futon, hope for tomorrow springing up.

'_Oh, Nia, if only you could see me now!'_

_---_

"Is the water ready?" Elliard said as he turned over the hot metal, hammering down the last details to the first sword of the day. He couldn't explain it, but he had a good feeling about this one. Maybe it was his renewed confidence. Maybe it was the summon spirit who was working beside. Maybe it was just because it was a great day. Either way, when he dipped the heated metal into the water bath specially made by Yuiri, it appeared as if everything had gone perfectly. There were no lines or marks on the surface of the weapon, which was always a plus in his book. All he had to do was fit it to a hilt and combat test his brand new sword.

He had just finished attaching the hilt when there was an urgent knocking on the door. Exchanging glances with Yuiri, Elliard walked up to the door, revealing the panicked face of the town mayor.

"Oh, thank the stars that you're here, Elliard! There's trouble!" The mayor said hurriedly, his panic evident. "A band of thieves have snuck into town and stolen some highly valuable heirlooms! We need your help to get them back."

"What? Why me? This sounds more like a job for the town militia." Elliard protested.

"You don't understand! The only reason the thieves were able to enter is that they bribed a couple of the guards. The rest of the militia is either dead or unconscious! As the only Craftknight in the area, please, Elliard, help!"

"Aaagh…" Elliard grumbled, looking towards Yuiri, who nodded slightly and looked at him seriously. He let out a sigh and hefted his sword, hoping that it would be combat-worthy. Well, at least now he would find out if he had made a good weapon. "Fine, fine. This is my home too. Do you know where the thieves escaped to?"

"They headed in the direction of Alteisen Cave. If you hurry, you might catch up. Thank you so much, Elliard. I'm…no, this whole town, is grateful for your help." The mayor bowed deeply before moving out of the Craftknight's way.

Sheathing his sword at his waist and checking to make sure his ever-reliable hammer was at his side, Elliard nodded once before heading towards Alteisen Cave, Yuiri following close by. The mayor watched him, hoping deep in his heart that the youth would succeed.

_---_

_To forge a master sword, one must first gather the right materials…_

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Chris: Oh snap, end of first chapter. Anyway, there it is, another fic from me that might get finished. And then again, it might not. I have a lousy track record. Anyway, review please. And tell me what you think about the characters I've created. 


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